As a Canadian RN or a licensed internationally educated nurse (IEN), we want to say a big welcome to Nova Scotia from the CRNNS team. We’re here to support you through this application process.

There are a few steps in this process and it’s important to take your time and be thorough to ensure you’ve completed everything, as we cannot make a decision on your application until we receive all required documents.

This section is for you if you’re a Canadian RN who is registered but not necessarily licensed in another Canadian province or an internationally educated nurse who is currently licensed in another Canadian province or territory.

All application documents must be provided in English. Translations from a certified translator are also accepted. You are responsible for the cost of all translations.

Submit proof of legal name (i.e. birth certificate and marriage certificate, if applicable) and photo identification (i.e. passport, driver’s licence, government issued photo ID). Submit both items to us either through the mail or email. Unclear and/or faxed copies will not be accepted.

Pay the assessment fee and the Jurisprudence fee. The fees are non-refundable and can be paid in the New Applicant Portal by credit card.

The New Applicant Portal is a secure online program that allows you to check the status of your application. Once we process your Initial Registration Assessment Application, you should get an email within 5 business days with your unique portal user ID and password and instructions on how to access your application and track its progress.

Each time we receive a document for your file, we will update your status on the portal for you to view.

Licensure Verifications and Employer Statements: these documents are valid for six months from the date they were issued by the issuing authority. International licensure verifications expire two years from the date they are issued.

English Language Proficiency Test: Your test expires two years from the date you took it.

If any application documents expire prior to becoming registered and/or licenced with CRNNS, your file will be placed on hold until updated documents are received. You will not be able to receive a temporary licence, register or licence with us if any part of your application is not current.

Through the New Applicant Portal, it is your responsibility to monitor the expiry of your documents and ensure your application remains up to date. We do not notify you when documents expire.

If we do not hear from you for six months and your Initial Registration Assessment Application and fee are more than six months old, your application will expire.

If you want to register and licence with us, you must meet all the regulatory requirements set in the Registered Nurses Act (2006) and Regulations (2016). To be registered and issued a licence to practise nursing, you must:

submit an application

pay the applicable fees

have graduated from a nursing program equivalent to programs approved in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia nursing program prepare graduates to work as generalist RNs. If you have completed a specialty programs without medical and surgical nursing, you are ineligible for registration and licensure.

have passed the jurisprudence exam.

have registered in the province or country where you qualified to become a registered nurse and the last place that you practised

demonstrate proficiency in the English language

have met all of the following criteria:

not currently subject to any disciplinary finding that would prohibit the practice of nursing

not currently under investigation by any registration or licensing authority

has provided any information the Chief Executive Officer and Registrar requires to establish that the applicant has the capacity, competence, capability and character to safely and ethically practise nursing

has provided any information the Chief Executive Officer and Registrar requires to establish that Section 43 of the Act does not apply to the applicant

except as provided in Section 23, has completed the requirements of a continuing competence program

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User Agreement Policy

College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia

Committee Portal Agreement

In return for the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia (hereinafter referred to as ‘CRNNS’)
providing you with a user ID and password, you agree to abide by the following terms and conditions of
use for this and all future uses of the CRNNS Committee Portal through the use of your CRNNS user ID
and password:

You agree that the CRNNS’ Committee Portal shall only be used for CRNNS’ business purposes.

You agree not to divulge, in any way, knowledge of any confidential information which has come
to you by virtue of your access to the Committee Portal.

You recognize that all messages sent over CRNNS’ Committee Portal are the property of the
CRNNS. Since the CRNNS’ communication systems shall be used for business purposes only, you
recognize that you shall have no expectation of privacy associated with the information you
store in or send through these systems.

You understand and accept that you are at all times responsible for your CRNNS user ID and
password. This responsibility applies even if you change the user ID and password. You agree
that this information will be kept confidential at all times and must not be shared with or
disclosed to others.

You agree not to use predictable passwords– example: using "X34JAN" in January, "X34FEB" in
February, etc. Predictable passwords could include all or part of your name or a family
member’s name or birthdate.

If your password and/or user ID are revealed or if you suspect that someone else has learned or obtained them, you are responsible for immediately revoking or changing your user ID and password. You agree to immediately advise the CRNNS at lw@crnns.ca

You agree that your CRNNS password will not be written down or left in a place where unauthorized persons might discover them i.e. in the vicinity of a workstation.

You agree not to use your CRNNS user ID and password for any illegal or improper activities.

Without limiting the foregoing, you agree that you will not use any script, robot, spider, WebCrawler, automated query program or other automatic device or manual process to monitor or copy the content (except where approved in writing by CRNNS).

You agree that you will not use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of the CRNNS Committee Portal, and that you will not disturb the normal operation of such services.

You agree that you will not take any action that imposes an excessive, unreasonable or disproportionately large load on the CRNNS’ infrastructure.

You agree not to use the services in a manner that harasses or may harass other parties, or that will or will have the potential to disrupt, undermine, corrupt, diminish or otherwise threaten or jeopardize the CRNNS' Committee Portal or its integrity.

You recognize that the CRNNS will monitor online access to ensure the online services are being used responsibly and in accordance with these terms and conditions.

You understand and accept that CRNNS can suspend or revoke your CRNNS user ID and password without notice under the following circumstances:

we suspect unauthorized use of your personal information or your CRNNS user ID and password;

as a security measure;

for operational reasons i.e. including, but not limited to, the use of scripts, web crawlers or screen scrapers (except where approved in writing by CRNNS);

for administrative reasons; or

if you fail to abide by the terms and conditions of use.

The CRNNS has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the security of its Committee Portal. We have used sophisticated encryption technology and incorporated other procedures to protect your personal information at all times. However, the Internet is a public network and there is the remote possibility of data security violations. In the event of such occurrences, you agree that the CRNNS is not responsible for any damages you may experience as a result.

Without restricting the generality of the foregoing, CRNNS disclaims all liability for any claim in relation to:

any matters or factors outside of its control, including the availability or unavailability of the Internet, or telecommunications or other infrastructure systems;

the availability or unavailability of the Internet, or telecommunications or other infrastructure systems due to system maintenance;

the availability or unavailability of the CRNNS user ID and password service for any reason;

any illegal or fraudulent use of your CRNNS user ID or password; or

the use of your CRNNS user ID and password in a foreign country where such use is prohibited by the laws of that country.

These terms and conditions of use may be amended from time to time. When this occurs, you will be presented with the new version and asked to indicate your acceptance once again before you are provided with access to the Committee Portal.

By accepting this agreement, and with each subsequent access to the Committee Portal, you are indicating your agreement to the terms and conditions of the preceding.